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[jay]

Screw him. If he had more than two firing synapses, he would have released it anonymously.

What does this have to do with the legal issues being debated?

This is like saying Assange is a douchebag so Wikileaks is wrong. You can think what they did was wrong but the guy in the limelight is irrelevant.

 

[Combichristoffersen]

My money's going to the Robocop statue.

Now that's a cause I could get behind

 

[the_prime_mover]

Unfortunately as we've seen in other threads, a lot of people don't care much for the bigger picture and don't seem to understand how bad a Sony victory would be for them, and the future of the any console owners.

As long as the next COD match is cheat-free, some Sony enthusiasts don't care what we'd be giving up in the long run.

I must be missing something here. What exactly would be the fallout if Sony wins this case? From a brief reading of the DMCA it seems that Sony has taken issue with the circumvention of measures designed to prevent access to the copyrighted work (the keys) and the creation and distribution of technologies which exist solely to help others compromise these measures. This doesn't seem to fall under fair use so it is likely illegal. But I haven't been following the case and do not have all the details. Obviously you feel very strongly about something that I don't see.

So please, if Sony wins, what potential adverse effects can consumers be expected to face?

 

[Canova]

How is he going to pay for the 10K+ bills he's racking up ?

Also, in the worst case scenario, what's at stake for him ? Jail time ?

An undisclosed amount of monetary damage to Sony AND all Sony legal and lawyers fee

 

[WinFonda]

Only it isn't Sony's house. I own my PS3, not Sony.

Let me put this another way.

Hotz could have hacked his PS3, turned it into a giant sex slave robot, whatever the fuck he wanted, and kept it private. So could anyone for that matter. But he didn't keep it private. He shared what he did with you, which you know defend as your consumer right. That's kinda messy.

If a brilliant mind didn't have an ego and simply wanted to break open his own hardware and tinker with it on his own terms, I don't think he'd have ever been sued, or even noticed.

That's why I used the house analogy. It's like he could have snuck into his own private mansion whenever he wanted and kept it on the downlow, but he didn't do that. He said, "Everyone come in! They're on vacation, they won't care. Grab a beer out of the fridge"

There's a certain line you cross that puts you in legal jeopardy. Namely, a fame whoring attention seeking one.

 

[RomanticHeroX]

I'm going to instead use the money to purchase a legit PS3 game.

 

[Amir0x]

There shouldn't be risks. Sony is entirely in the wrong here.

The guy posted a math problem. Major security failures like this should be published. Because that way people know how to deal with them. If it had been kept secret and someone malicious had discovered it (which is quite possible) then we could have had PS3's being bricked/messed with left and right.

Then if it's such a major problem and by your goood graces you want to see Sony fix it, you contact Sony. Or you release it anonymously. Doing what he did invites just the sort of problems he now has because he's specifically breaking all numbers of rules that you agree to when you buy a PS3.

And THAT'S why it's not worth donating for. It's Sony's platform and they set the rules. If you break those rules, as good as your intentions might be, I don't feel compelled to help you. That's just dumb. If you don't like the rules you don't get the platform.

 

[EricHasNoPull]

Perfect response!

 

[Aselith]

You must really want piracy to smother PS3 in the face. You should donate to the guy and keep us posted on how the case goes.

The Master Keys are already available and freely so. Sony is not trying to stop piracy here because the horse has already left the barn. They're sending a "fuck with us and we'll sue you into the ground" message. Frankly, that won't stop the pirates because they know the likelyhood that THEY will be sued it virtually nothing.

The only thing really important here is that the courts learn that we can mod our systems if it doesn't violate copyright laws and that Sony learns that they need to lockdown their system better.

 

[chubigans]

Just sent over fifty dollars worth of credits.

 

[[Nintex]]

An undisclosed amount of monetary damage to Sony AND all Sony legal and lawyers fee

Like I said this poor kid will be blamed for the PS3 piracy issue. He did something stupid but it doesn't seem like Geohot has the millions or billions that Sony 'needs' to cover their so called 'damages'. I bet the legal case costs more than what they'll eventually get from him. Hell, in the worst case scenario he'll snap when he sees the figure he has to pay and hangs himself. Imagine the PR nightmare.

 

[hey_it's_that_dog]

What does this have to do with the legal issues being debated?

This is like saying Assange is a douchebag so Wikileaks is wrong. You can think what they did was wrong but the guy in the limelight is irrelevant.

But we're talking about donating to the guy in the limelight as a proxy for the cause. You can see why people who don't like him would choose not to give him money, even if they support the cause in general, right? It's not wholly irrational.

 

[OldJadedGamer]

That's why I used the house analogy. It's like he could have snuck into his own private mansion whenever he wanted and kept it on the downlow, but he didn't do that. He said, "Everyone come in! They're on vacation, they won't care. Grab a beer out of the fridge"

I'm confused... why would he need to sneak into a mansion that he owned? He could just go through the front door, since it's his. And who are "they" that are on vacation and why are they in his mansion?

 

[H_Prestige]

I must be missing something here. What exactly would be the fallout if Sony wins this case? From a brief reading of the DMCA it seems that Sony has taken issue with the circumvention of measures designed to prevent access to the copyrighted work (the keys) and the creation and distribution of technologies which exist solely to help others compromise these measures. This doesn't seem to fall under fair use so it is likely illegal. But I haven't been following the case and do not have all the details. Obviously you feel very strongly about something that I don't see.

So please, if Sony wins, what potential adverse effects can consumers be expected to face?

Absolutely nothing. Sony can't stop people from trying to hack their systems, as along as those people are a little smart about it. Business will go on as usual.

 

[jay]

Let me put this another way.

Hotz could have hacked his PS3, turned it into a giant sex slave robot, whatever the fuck he wanted, and kept it private. So could anyone for that matter. But he didn't keep it private. He shared what he did with you, which you know defend as your consumer right. That's kinda messy.

If a brilliant mind didn't have an ego and simply wanted to break open his own hardware and tinker with it on his own terms, I don't think he'd have ever been sued, or even noticed.

That's why I used the house analogy. It's like he could have snuck into his own private mansion whenever he wanted and kept it on the downlow, but he didn't do that. He said, "Everyone come in! They're on vacation, they won't care. Grab a beer out of the fridge"

Please stop using the house analogy as it does not work, even when you call it a mansion.

 

[Ceebs]

This has nothing to do with piracy, hacker ego boosts, or any of the other nonsensical reasons why posters are backing Sony. Even if you hate the fact that he hacked a PS3 wide open, him losing this will have long reaching ramifications on every piece of consumer electronics you may buy. The various corporations hold way to much sway over us already, all they need is power over our various hardware purchases post sale. That may sound sort of tinfoil hatish but would you want to take that risk?

 

[spwolf]

I mean I can sympathize with him, but when you do something like this you have to know the risks. You break the rules and then expect to be paid out of it. I mean on principle I can never feel bad for someone who cannot face the consequences when they do wrong. Whenever I do wrong it's with the full knowledge that I face that end alone if I get caught.

His excuse is that he is just a kid living in his own world.... like many today, he thinks he can do whatever he wants and get away with it. It is as if internet is surreal and whatever you do there is irrelevant.

kid has always been an ass too, i remember the iphone hacks and all the community annoyed that he always does what he wants.

 

[Canova]

Just sent over fifty dollars worth of credits.

lol

yea I think I may shop more on PSN tonite

 

[cuyahoga]

I always thought urinating on money was too dignified, so I'm really glad I can donate it to some kid who gloated about exploiting another's intellectual property in the least constructive way possible.

 

[Thetallywacker]

Maybe your ID is safe from youtube but the money can be tracked. He's the hangman.

 

[Y2Kev]

Apple should throw a few bucks towards sony

 

[JordanLMiller]

I haven't really kept up with this story. So he's being sued because he showed people how to hack their systems? I didn't know that was against the law.

 

[Canova]

Like I said this poor kid will be blamed for the PS3 piracy issue. He did something stupid but it doesn't seem like Geohot has the millions or billions that Sony 'needs' to cover their so called 'damages'. I bet the legal case costs more than what they'll eventually get from him. Hell, in the worst case scenario he'll snap when he sees the figure he has to pay and hangs himself. Imagine the PR nightmare.

...and he didn't see this coming?

we're not talking about some instantaneous decision here, he had time to consider all the actions that he took

 

[Kaako]

Yea...fuck that.
Got my own bills to worry about.

 

[Brazil]

The worst part is "Sony is suing me for hacking MY OWN PS3."

Yeah, ok.

 

[jay]

But we're talking about donating to the guy in the limelight as a proxy for the cause. You can see why people who don't like him would choose not to give him money, even if they support the cause in general, right? It's not wholly irrational.

It's mildly rational but very shortsighted.

If it were a trial for some solidly established law where everyone was in moral agreement that would be one thing. If someone is being tried for murder and you think he is a lying hypocrite then of course don't defend him.

 

[WinFonda]

I'm confused... why would he need to sneak into a mansion that he owned? He could just go through the front door, since it's his. And who are "they" that are on vacation and why are they in his mansion?

We're going in circles here. This is not any different from what the first guy said. It's like you refuse to think in terms in which Hotz got himself in hot water. We're not discussing his right to crack open his PS3.

 

[Aselith]

Let me put this another way.

Hotz could have hacked his PS3, turned it into a giant sex slave robot, whatever the fuck he wanted, and kept it private. So could anyone for that matter. But he didn't keep it private. He shared what he did with you, which you know defend as your consumer right. That's kinda messy.

If a brilliant mind didn't have an ego and simply wanted to break open his own hardware and tinker with it on his own terms, I don't think he'd have ever been sued, or even noticed.

That's why I used the house analogy. It's like he could have snuck into his own private mansion whenever he wanted and kept it on the downlow, but he didn't do that. He said, "Everyone come in! They're on vacation, they won't care. Grab a beer out of the fridge"

There's a certain line you cross that puts you in legal jeopardy. Namely, a fame whoring attention seeking one.

Actually, what he did was say everyone could go into their own private mansion that they has purchased and take a beer out of their own fridge. Sony locked that fridge up and they'll be goddamned if you drink a beer in THEIR house whether you paid for it or not. A Sony sold house is a Vodka ONLY house!

 

[chubigans]

Wait, I missed this:

What if SCEA tries to settle?
Lets just say, I want the settlement terms to include OtherOS on all PS3s and an apology on the PlayStation blog for ever removing it. It'd be good PR for Sony too, lord knows they could use it. I'm also willing to accept a trade, a legit path to homebrew for knowledge of how to stop new firmwares from being decrypted.

 

[LiquidMetal14]

Screw him. If he had more than two firing synapses, he would have released it anonymously.

My money's going to the Robocop statue.

The best answer thus far.

Wait, I missed this:

lmao like there's any going back now.

 

[fernoca]

I also think that was part of the problem. He probably thought that he was going to become the "Waninkoko" of the PS3, or something like that. You know, the name many associate with homebrew on Wii even when is not the best, first or only one.

But is like he went like on a media tour doing interviews, posting videos, blogs, forums; while releasing content to make "things" easier for others.

The fact that just posting his username on Google can bring you his real name, twitter, blogs and even live interviews on CNN about when he hacked the iPhone...and showing his face. Is like he was mostly looking for fame or attention, media spotlight more than actual "fun".

 

[plainr_]

Just sent over fifty dollars worth of credits.

lol.

 

[Kyoufu]

Just sent over fifty dollars worth of credits.

Almost choked on my nectarine :lol

 

[Mush]

if this guy's hacking means people can cheat easier on PSN now then fuck'em.

.

 

[Zoe]

I haven't really kept up with this story. So he's being sued because he showed people how to hack their systems? I didn't know that was against the law.

In the US, the DMCA makes it illegal to do that for game consoles.

 

[spwolf]

This has nothing to do with piracy, hacker ego boosts, or any of the other nonsensical reasons why posters are backing Sony.

it doesnt? i bet sony wouldnt sue him for all the crap they have listed on the lawsuit, if he didnt post private keys on the internet, enabling software piracy on the system.... of course, he never mentions those private keys on his website, it is just big bad corporation going after one little kid who didnt do anything.

 

[[Nintex]]

...and he didn't see this coming?

we're not talking about some instantaneous decision here, he had time to consider all the actions that he took

Well yeah but what could Sony possibly gain from this? If he can't pay for his own legal defense how is he able to compensate Sony in any way. Jail time? Isn't that just a waste of tax money and again a PR nightmare? I can see the headlines already: 'The PlayStation Prisoner'. The media will love the 'hacker kid' vs. 'big bad Sony' story. This can only end in a very bad way.

It would be different if he somehow made money on the whole thing but he obviously hasn't.

 

[linkboy]

I must be missing something here. What exactly would be the fallout if Sony wins this case? From a brief reading of the DMCA it seems that Sony has taken issue with the circumvention of measures designed to prevent access to the copyrighted work (the keys) and the creation and distribution of technologies which exist solely to help others compromise these measures. This doesn't seem to fall under fair use so it is likely illegal. But I haven't been following the case and do not have all the details. Obviously you feel very strongly about something that I don't see.

So please, if Sony wins, what potential adverse effects can consumers be expected to face?

It would set a legal precedence that you don't own the electronic device you purchase, you're essentially leasing it from the company who made it.

Apple would love to have a ruling like that. You can be damn sure they would try to use to get that pesky DMCA jailbreak exception overturned (Motorola would be in on that as well, they're trying their hardest to stop their phones from being rooted).

This would also make the whole PS3\Linux mess perfectly fine. Said company doesn't want a feature on their (remember, its not yours anymore) product, they can legally remove it, even if said feature was used to sell the product to use.

This has ramifactions beyond just the hacking of the PS3, we're getting into the question of who owns the product that is sold and then purchased (or leased) to us.

 

[jay]

Actually, what he did was say everyone could go into their own private mansion that they has purchased and take a beer out of their own fridge. Sony locked that fridge up and they'll be goddamned if you drink a beer in THEIR house whether you paid for it or not. A Sony sold house is a Vodka ONLY house!

OK yeah but then these mansions also have cars that the owner copied keys for and gave to everyone on earth and then had this party and a lot of people started jailbreaking phones even though they didn't own the beer they were drinking.

 

[KingDizzi]

He's gonna become someones wife in jail

 

[Aselith]

OK yeah but then these mansions also have cars that the owner copied keys for and gave to everyone on earth and then had this party and a lot of people started jailbreaking phones even though they didn't own the beer they were drinking.

I...what?

 

[EricHasNoPull]

I love the irony of this guy trying to keep the "Underground hacking scene" alive but also be the egotistic "mascot" in the spotlight for it at the same time, way to do it all wrong buddy!

 

[ZombieSupaStar]

In the US, the DMCA makes it illegal to do that for game consoles.

what sort of drugs were politicians on when they ok'd that POS legislation. Lemme guess Microsoft hands were up clintons skirt?

 

[Canova]

I also think that was part of the problem. He probably thought that he was going to become the "Waninkoko" of the PS3, or something like that. You know, the name many associate with homebrew on Wii even when is not the best, first or only one.

But is like he went like on a media tour doing interviews, posting videos, blogs, forums; while releasing content to make "things" easier for others.

The fact that just posting his username on Google can bring you his real name, twitter, blogs and even live interviews on CNN about when he hacked the iPhone...and showing his face. is like he was mostly looking for fame or attention, media spotlight more than actual "fun".

Yup, all the interviews, TV appearances, rap videos, etc.

He enjoys the spotlight, and he wants his worshipers to pay for it

 

[linkboy]

He's gonna become someones wife in jail

Didn't know you could go to jail for a civil case

 

[linkboy]

what sort of drugs were politicians on when they ok'd that POS legislation. Lemme guess Microsoft hands were up clintons skirt?

Nope, just kickbacks from the media and electronic companies. Its how the US government works.

 

[FateBreaker]

Hahahahah. Donate. Hahahahah.

 

[bishoptl]

What does this have to do with the legal issues being debated?

This is like saying Assange is a douchebag so Wikileaks is wrong. You can think what they did was wrong but the guy in the limelight is irrelevant.

You're equating the work that Wikileaks does to some kid opening up the PS3? Geohot is a self-aggrandizing jackass who is rapidly finding out what occurs when you fuck around above your paygrade to bolster e-peen. What exactly did he expect would happen once he put his name to this? I'll donate my cash to causes that deserve it and gladly withhold it from those that don't.

 

[ZombieSupaStar]

It would set a legal precedence that you don't own the electronic device you purchase, you're essentially leasing it from the company who made it.

Apple would love to have a ruling like that. You can be damn sure they would try to use to get that pesky DMCA jailbreak exception overturned (Motorola would be in on that as well, they're trying their hardest to stop their phones from being rooted).

This would also make the whole PS3\Linux mess perfectly fine. Said company doesn't want a feature on their (remember, its not yours anymore) product, they can legally remove it, even if said feature was used to sell the product to use.

This has ramifactions beyond just the hacking of the PS3, we're getting into the question of who owns the product that is sold and then purchased (or leased) to us.

could sony then block the trade in of consoles since it would be a lease? good bye used hardware industry.

 

[kevm3]

This 'poor kid'? He was free to 'hack' his PS3 in the privacy in his own home. Releasing the keys and essentially enabling things like piracy to the masses is not his right. This 'consumers' rights' argument is nonsense. I'm all against DRM and the online pass codes companies like EA are proposing... but let's be real here. More than likely, people who unlock their PS3s are going to do so for piracy.